8 Great Ways to Incorporate Family Into Your Wedding

August is Family Fun Month, so it seemed like the perfect time to talk about ways to incorporate the loved ones that you are related to into your wedding. Country Jewell is a marvelous place to host a ceremony and reception filled with family and friends. Our rustic wedding barn near Knoxville has plenty of room for everyone to spread out and have a great time.

Incorporate Family Into Your Ceremony

Marriage is all about two people that have fallen in love becoming a family together. This also means that they are joining their two existing families. There are lots of ways that you can symbolize and honor this at your wedding.

• The Rose Ceremony - This is a lovely unity ceremony for families. You have three vases up front near the couple. Each mother claims a vase for their side of the family and puts a rose for each member of the immediate family into it, including the bride and groom. Those two roses can be personalized in some way. At a set time during the ceremony, the couple combine both sets of flowers into the center vase, symbolizing the blossoming of their new family.
• Let them lead you down the aisle. - Instead of just having Dad walk the bride down the aisle, let your family form a processional to announce your entrance. The groom's family can do the same for him before he enters too.
• Use family members as your wedding party. - Instead of asking friends to stand as your attendants, use your closest family members instead. 
• Display family photos. - Place framed photos of all of your family members wedding pictures at the entrance to the ceremony or on the gift table. You can also use other family photos that show the members of your families off. Another way to do this is to make a slide show from all of the photographs to be played during a song at the ceremony or during the reception later.    

Family Fun at the Reception

The wedding reception is the time for both sides of your families to get to know each other and have some fun together. Here are a few ways that you can make that happen.

• Play games. - Lawn games are tons of fun at receptions. Set up a few games outside to encourage a bit of friendly competition. If you prefer to keep everyone indoors, set up a classic board game station at a table or two. Video game stations can be lots of fun too, especially if there are teenagers at your wedding.
• Set up a kids' table. - Although many children at weddings will spend most of their time on the dance floor, it's a great idea to have an area featuring kid-friendly activities to keep them entertained while the grownups party. Coloring books, games, bubbles, and kid-friendly snacks are wonderful things to include. 
• Use Grandma's secret recipe. - Give your caterer one of your relative's recipes for something that your family has grown to love and beg for at every family gathering.
• Have a dance competition. - Do you have a family that loves kicking up their heels on the dance floor? Throw a dance party and let your guests hold up signs scoring each of the competitors' smooth moves. 

Those are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Our wedding venue near Knoxville is a great place for your families to get to know each other. The scenic grounds are excellent for family photographs too. A wedding at Country Jewell is a day that everyone of every age can enjoy. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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